Don't You Dare Call Me Son!
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: Hiccup thought that he should have felt happy; this was his mother, whom he had not seen in twenty years. But instead of feeling happy, Hiccup only felt one coherent emotion: Anger. (A what-if take on HTTYD2) Requested by IonitaMircea32
1. Chapter 1

**Hey hey hey, everybody! :D New story! Oh boy! A BIG thank you to IonitaMircea32 who requested this and waited patiently! :D Enjoy!**

* * *

"HEY!" Hiccup shouted, kicking his feet. "You left my dragon back there! He can't fly on his own, he'll _drown!_ " The dragon holding him tightened its grip as Hiccup squirmed and thrashed recklessly.

Toothless. No, he had to get back to Toothless. The dragon was going to drown in the ocean if he didn't, and this weird... _dragon_ person was trying to take him away from his beloved Night Fury.

Hiccup didn't have much time to think about it, however, because the dragons carrying him and following him and their leader (Hiccup was still wondering who it was. Drago Bludvist? Another trapper?) dipped downwards, flying towards a large ice formation.

The most terrifying thing was the fact that it looked almost _identical_ to the ice formation Astrid and Hiccup had found, back when they were almost captured by the Trappers who were said to be working for a man named "Drago Bludvist."

Hiccup took in a sharp intake of air. This was _the last_ thing he wanted to deal with. He still had to help Toothless! The dragon could have been half-dead by now! Unfortunately, the more Hiccup tried to wriggle himself out of the dragon's grip, the tighter the claws around his arms became, even to the point where they caused pain, digging into his skin. He could hardly think about himself, though. He had to get to Toothless.

At this point, however, he knew falling wasn't a very welcoming idea. If he fell from this height, it could easily lead to his death. Maybe he could train a dragon, after they landed, and then go back for Toothless.

Problem was, he didn't know when (or even _if_ ) they were going to be landing. If it wasn't sometime soon, then Toothless was going to die.

The dragons flew through a hole in the ice in an orderly fashion, as if they had done it a million times. Who knew? Maybe they had. The dragons touched down, one after the other, and Hiccup was dropped to the ground.

He scrambled to his feet an instant later, glancing about the dragons that were circling around him. He wasn't afraid, though. He knew the dragons wouldn't hurt him. He was afraid for Toothless, however. They had to go back for him. Hiccup just wouldn't have it any other way.

"Hey!" he shouted angrily. One of the dragons growled, and Hiccup bit his lip. He spun around. Dragons were everywhere, stepping closer, enclosing him and trapping him in a tight circle. "Oh," Hiccup whispered under his breath. He turned around in the other direction once again. "We have to head back for my dragon!" he shouted.

No response. The dragons continued to stare him down, to the point where it was a little bit creepy. Hiccup then took Inferno, igniting the blade and swirling it over his head multiple times. The dragons looked at him in awe, cocking their heads to the side with confusion.

So far, so good.

Hiccup then sprayed Zippleback gas in a circle around him before lighting it. A ring of flame appeared around him for a moment before going out. The dragons growled in amazement.

Good. Now, all Hiccup had to do was train one, get out of here, find Toothless, and then leave to try and find Drago. He steps towards the nearest dragon with an extended arm, but just before he touches his nose, the other rider appears.

Hiccup spins around to look at him...or her...he couldn't tell which one. The suit the person was wearing threw it off. He or she approached him, and Hiccup recoiled, stepping away from the human who acted more like a dragon than a person.

A sudden thought occurred to Hiccup.

Maybe...just maybe... _this_ was Drago Bludvist. Had Hiccup really found him so easily? Was this the reason that the person hadn't gone back for Toothless? Hiccup didn't understand.

"Who are you?" Hiccup asked flatly. It came out sounding more of a statement than a question. "The Dragon Thief?" The person didn't respond, circling Hiccup strangely, crouching low to the ground. "Ahh...Drago Bludvist?" Hiccup asked. Maybe he would respond to a name?

...Nope, apparently not, if the lack of response was any indication.

"Do you even understand what I'm saying?" Hiccup asked, sounding desperate now. Toothless. Toothless needed him, and this vigilante (or _whatever_ he or she was) was wasting precious time.

Before there was even time to answer, dragons swooped overhead, dropping something black, soaking wet, and moaning onto the ground a few feet away from Hiccup.

 _Toothless._

"Toothless!" Hiccup shouted, rushing forward. Toothless sat up, shaking water off his head. He was alive. He was alright. Hiccup hugged the dragon's head, closing his eyes. His scales felt freezing, but the warmth was returning, albeit slowly. "It's okay, it's okay," Hiccup said quickly. "I'm glad to see you too, bud. You really had me worried there."

Hiccup had forgotten that the person was still watching him. Then, as if on cue, all the dragons lit their fire, lighting up the entire cave. Toothless stood up as Hiccup faced him or her, growling, wrapping his tail around Hiccup's legs protectively.

It didn't stop the person, however. The mysterious masked man approached, holding a hand out to Toothless. Toothless sniffed it for a moment, and then the person flipped his or her palm (it was really beginning to bug Hiccup how he couldn't tell the gender). Toothless collapsed instantly, and then the person rubbed his chin.

Well, at least Hiccup knew the human wasn't going to actually _hurt_ his beloved dragon. Hiccup still, regardless, stepped backwards once the person began approaching him directly instead.

A hand was held out to him in the same manner as one was held out to Toothless. Hiccup shied away from it, not knowing what to feel. He was scared more than anything, although he would never actually openly admit it.

Then, as soon as he turned his head, the figure stepped backwards, breathing heavily. Hiccup looked at the person. What did he do now?

"...Hiccup?" a muffled voice asked. Hiccup was shocked. What the _heck_. How did this person know his name? Another thing that he noted was the fact that the voice was female. So, not Drago Bludvist. Stoick had called Drago a "he" while explaining his past with Drago.

Then who was this woman? And how did she know who Hiccup was?

She took off her helmet. "C-could it be?" she stuttered in awe, straightening up. She was only a few inches taller than Hiccup was. "After all these years…? How is this possible?"

Hiccup stared at her in shock. What was she _talking_ about? "Uh, should I…" He started. "Should I know you?"

The woman looked away, her smile fading. Was that shame on her face? "No," she admitted, almost sadly. "You were only a babe." Hiccup squinted at her. Where was she taking this? The woman took in a breath. "But a _mother_ , _never_ forgets."

Hiccup gasped as he fully registered what this woman had just claimed. It didn't surprise him, in honesty; she looked almost exactly like him. In fact, they could have been brother and sister they looked so alike.

Hiccup thought that he should have felt happy; this was his mother, whom he had not seen in twenty years.

Whom he had not seen in twenty years…

Whom he had not seen in twenty years…

 _Whom he had not seen in twenty years…_

Instead of feeling happy, Hiccup only felt one coherent emotion:

Anger.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 chapter 2 chapter 2, 2, 2, chapter 2 chapter 2 chapter 2, 2, 2, chapter 2 chapter 2 chapter 2, 2, 2, chapter TTTWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOO, chapter 2, 2, 2! YAY! :D So sorry for that awkwardness. :D Hey, I have something else that's really kind of awkward and sad. Wanna hear it?**

 **Jingle bells, Eren yells, Hannes runs away. Armin screams, and this all means that Levi's gonna save the day! :D I just finished the first season of Attack on Titan, and IT. IS. AMAZING. Seriously, I would seriously advise watching that show, it's awesome. BUT, just like all the great shows...we have to wait FOREVER for the new seasons to come out. *snaps fingers* And all this waiting is making me crazy...**

 **Darting through the trees,  
Early one day,  
No time for slacking off,  
The mission's underway!  
Oh no, the ground is red,  
And everyone is dead,  
You should run for your life or  
A titan will eat your head.  
OH *continue with chorus* **

**So sorry. So, chapter 2! :D Enjoy! :D**

* * *

The woman (or, Valka, now that Hiccup actually knew her true identity) smiled, oblivious to her son's anger. Hiccup couldn't think straight. His mother...she had been _alive_ this _whole time_ , and yet, she had chosen to stay with the dragons. Hiccup couldn't fully register what he was looking at. He closed his eyes and opened them once again, half-hoping that he would wake up from whatever horrible nightmare he was in, but she was still there.

She abandoned him. She abandoned him and his father. She chose the dragons over her family. She chose to stay with them instead of staying and helping Stoick raise their only son.

"Come," Valka said. There was clear excitement in her voice, and Hiccup hated it. She really _didn't_ know how she had scared him? She really _didn't_ know the pain her "death" had put him through?

"No," Hiccup said flatly.

Valka looked taken back. "Hiccup, I want to show you-" she started, but Hiccup cut her off.

"Twenty years," he said, shaking his head. Valka nodded. She _still_ wasn't getting it. "Twenty years," he repeated, but Valka made no different move. "I thought…" Hiccup choked on his own words. He felt tears sting his eyes and burn his throat. "I thought...you were dead."

Valka stared at him, and then sighed, as if she suddenly actually thought about what she had done.

However, Hiccup wasn't anywhere _close_ to being finished. "You let me grieve," Hiccup said, taking a step forward. Now Valka was the one that seemed to cower. "How could you do that?"

"Hiccup," Valka said, "I was trying to protect you, and your father. I thought you would be better off without me on Berk."

"You thought!?" Hiccup yelled so suddenly that Valka actually took a step backwards. "You thought your only son would grow up better without a mother!?"

"I didn't say that," Valka said. "Hiccup, please just try to listen-"

"No!" Hiccup shouted. "I am not listening to _anything_ you have to say! You don't get it, do you? Do you have _any_ idea what you put me through, my whole life!?"

"Hiccup!" Valka said desperately. "I wanted to keep you safe! That's all I wanted! I wanted to make peace with the dragons, but when that didn't exactly work-"

"Work!?" Hiccup yelled. "That's all you care about? When it didn't _work_ , you _stayed_ with the dragons after being abducted!? Did you ever even think about trying a little bit harder to make peace!?"

"Hiccup, I know that you're angry," Valka said. "I want you to know that it broke my heart to stay away."

"Well, it didn't break it too much now, did it!" Hiccup said back. She looked so shocked, and in truth, he was a bit shocked with himself…

But he didn't think he could stop. "Just a little note, or something," he said in a much calmer tone. "A note, a message, just to know that you were alive...that would have been fine. But no! Instead, you leave my father and me. You left us as if we didn't even matter to you!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Valka said. "I love you, and your father!"

"Then why don't you act like it!?" Hiccup demanded. Valka and him remained silent for a few moments, but Hiccup wasn't finished ranting yet. He took a deep breath, running his hands through his hair.

"You don't understand," he said. "All the years when I tried to fit in...where were you then? Everyone acted like I was a _nobody_! They treated me like dirt beneath their feet! They called me Hiccup the Useless. And you know what else!? They made me believe it! I had no one to stand up for me! I had no one to help me, and no one to tell me otherwise!"

Valka responded with silence; there was nothing for her to say. When she didn't speak, Hiccup went on.

"They liked to beat me up," Hiccup said. "Lots of them. Everyone around my age did. They liked to do it, just in a way of saying, 'Hey, look how useless you really are! Can't even fight back!' They would yell that so the entire village could hear, and so that the entire village could _know_ , that I was Hiccup the Useless."

"Hiccup, I'm sorry," Valka said. "I'm so sorry-"

"And of course there was the time when someone told me that my mother _wasn't_ actually abducted by dragons," Hiccup continued, ignoring whatever Valka was trying to say. "I was three years old. I didn't actually...well, I believed everything people said. They told me that you weren't taken by dragons. They told me that instead, you left, because you hated me."

Hiccup took another step forward. "I told them that they were lying," he said. "I screamed it with tears rolling down my face. 'My mother loved me! That's not true!' But...now...I just don't know whether or not I was right."

"Hiccup," Valka said in a warning tone of voice.

"Is that why you stayed away?" Hiccup asked. "Were they right? Did you stay with the dragons because you hated me? Did you choose them over me because you thought...because you thought...they were _worth_ more than your only son?"

"Of course not, Hiccup," Valka said. "Of course not."

"Then why didn't you come back?" Hiccup questioned.

"I thought I was endangering you," Valka said. "I thought that since I couldn't kill a dragon, you and your father were going to suffer from it some day."

"We suffered more when you left!" Hiccup said. "And you know what else? Berk is at peace with the dragons as we speak." Valka turned in his direction. "So it really wasn't impossible," Hiccup said.

Valka only stared at him. "How-"

"They made peace because of me," Hiccup said. "They're at peace because I decided to step up and do the right thing. They're at peace because I was willing to give my life so that the other villagers would live. I lost my leg because of it." He looked down at his prosthetic, and Valka followed his gaze. "Were you willing to do what everyone else thought was impossible?"

Valka opened her mouth to speak, but Hiccup cut her off before she even began.

"No," he said. "No, you weren't willing. Instead of actually trying, you ran off with the dragons. You left your family behind to mourn and grieve. How could you do that? To your husband...to your _son_..."

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Valka said.

"Yeah, but the truth of the matter is that you did," Hiccup said. "You can't take back what you've done, so don't try to apologize. Excuse us." Hiccup motioned to Toothless, who then followed Hiccup in the opposite direction.

Valka ran after him. "Hiccup, son!" she called, grabbing his arm. Hiccup jerked away, pulling his hand back as if to slap her.

"Don't touch me," he said. "And don't you _dare_ call me 'son'." He pulled his hand back further, and then lowered it once again. "I just want you to know," he said, "that a slap in the face pales in comparison to what I went through my whole life. And you know something else?" He paused. "It never would have happened if you were there to look after me."

With that, he turned and walked down one of the corridors, Toothless in tow. After a few moments, Valka collapsed to her knees, put her head in her hands, and sobbed her heart out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3, everybody! :D I am so excited for this fanfiction...awesome. :D :D Just to clear everything up, I'm going to be taking this all the way to the end of HTTYD2. And I know some of you think I'm making Hiccup act too harshly towards Valka, and know that it is intentional. It's all part of the story. ;) Anywho, enjoy chapted 3! :D**

* * *

"I can't believe her!" Hiccup said as he paced back and forth in front of Toothless. "She leaves for twenty years, is thought to be dead for twenty years, and then comes back out of no where and acts like nothing ever happened?"

Toothless growled.

"I know, I know," Hiccup said. "Maybe I was a little hard on her, but what do you expect me to do? I can't really...I don't know how to forgive her, Toothless." He sat down across from his dragon, staring at his hands. It wasn't easy for him not to forgive Valka, because he was a naturally forgiving person, and plus the fact that she was his _mother_ , but his anger was winning over at that time. It was all he could think about. "I know I forgave the Berkians," Hiccup said, "after they acted like they hated me, but having my own _mother_ abandon me is..." He sighed.

Toothless cooed worriedly, getting up and moving to curl up around Hiccup before plopping back to the ground with a thud. Hiccup scratched Toothless' head gently, and Toothless purred.

"I don't know what to do, buddy," Hiccup said. "I don't know how I should be acting, or reacting...I just don't know, Toothless." He leaned over, laying against Toothless' side with his arm draped over Toothless' neck. "I just don't know."

Toothless wrapped his tail around Hiccup's waist protectively, and Hiccup closed his eyes, falling asleep effortlessly, feeling safe with his dragon, and burdened by his new discovery.

…

Valka followed Hiccup without his knowing. She didn't know what else to do. She couldn't let him wander alone…

...No, actually, he would probably _rather_ wander alone than wander with his mother following him, but Valka couldn't help it. She hardly knew her son, and she knew he was mad at her, but the problem was, she couldn't blame him.

When she finally caught up to him, she found him laying against Toothless' side, curled into himself, sleeping soundly. She froze when Toothless lifted his head, regarding her with a growl.

Valka couldn't help but be amazed at Hiccup and Toothless' bond. The way Hiccup had run straight towards the Night Fury once her dragons brought him to their nest, how Toothless had been so protective over him…

She thought about what Hiccup had said. She was wrong about peace not being possible. Hiccup made peace with the dragons when all she did was run from her problems. Plus, she had abandoned Hiccup. Being abandoned was enough to make _any_ child mad.

Valka paused. No, Hiccup wasn't a "child" anymore. If she was correct, then he was twenty years old. Twenty. Not the baby she had left on Berk. Not the infant who wasn't even one year old yet. Hiccup was a young man now, going into adulthood. Soon, she reckoned, he would be taking place as Chief of Berk.

She approached Toothless and her son slowly, holding her hand out to the dragon. Toothless snarled, but sheathed his teeth when she didn't seem frightened. He didn't lower his guard, however. He had seen how upset Hiccup was with this woman. He wasn't going to let her harm his rider.

Valka already knew this. She knew how protective dragons were of their kin or family, and by the looks of it, this Night Fury considered Hiccup as his family. Of course. If Valka was correct, then Toothless (as Hiccup had called him) was the last of his kind.

Although Hiccup was pressed against his dragon's side, he was still shivering. The air was cold, and the wind was strong, so Valka didn't have any reason to question his shaking. Taking off her cloak (ignoring Toothless' eyes regarding and watching her every move), she draped it over Hiccup's shoulders. After a few moments, Hiccup's shivering ceased.

Toothless sniffed his rider, and then looked up at Valka with a confused coo.

"I didn't mean to hurt him so much," Valka said. "I didn't know how much me staying away affected him."

Toothless cocked his head sideways, cooing in acknowledgement. Valka sighed sadly.

"I don't know how to make it up to him," Valka said. "I don't know how I can possible do something to make him forgive me...well, I can't make him do anything. I shouldn't have stayed away like I did, Toothless. I should have come back for him."

Toothless growled in agreement, laying his head against Hiccup's side. Valka looked at the dragon and her son with a sad sigh. She then thought about Stoick. What if he reacted the same way Hiccup reacted? Oh, she didn't think she would have been able to handle that. Her son seemed to hate her, and if her husband did, too, then she wouldn't know how to react. Hiccup and Stoick were the only family she really had.

If Stoick did hate her, however, she would only have herself to blame, as she was to blame for Hiccup's anger with her. It wasn't his fault he was so upset. It was what one would expect from someone who was abandoned.

"I hope he will let me make it up to him, Toothless," Valka said, although she thought that at this point, she was really talking to herself more than she was talking to Toothless. Toothless cooed, just before falling asleep, curled up with his rider. Valka watched them for a few moments before looking back at Cloudjumper.

She had chosen to stay with the dragons instead of her family, and now Hiccup was shunning her, yet sleeping soundly beside a dragon.

Then, turning away sadly, she and Cloudjumper walked away. Valka couldn't help but feel doleful. However, she made a silent promise: one way or another, she would make it up to her son.

Twenty years...she had a lot to make up for.


	4. Chapter 4

Hiccup dreamed about the night his mother was taken away from him.

It was more than he wished to think about, should be he completely honest; the dream was more realistic than he would imagine a dream being. He had watched the entire scene; his mother trying to break up the fights between viking and dragons, her rushing into their house when a dragon attacked, the dragon taking her away…

He didn't get it. In the dream, she seemed so upset about leaving; the way she wailed Stoick's name as the dragons lifted her into the air, how she looked so blatantly terrified.

Yet still, she had decided to stay with the dragons, even after everything else. Hiccup didn't think he would ever truly understand why she had done what she did. She didn't seem to hate him, how she rushed in the house to protect him when the dragon broke in...but then why did she stay away? Was there a justified reason? Even if there was, Hiccup didn't think _anyone_ could ever justify the actions of a mother when they abandon their son and husband.

And Hiccup's father looked so heartbroken in the dream. Hiccup had watched his father grieve over the loss of Valka while he was growing up, and in honesty, it was much, much more than Hiccup wanted to think about.

He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and looking at his surroundings. For a few minutes, he didn't know where he was, but then he remembered. Right. He was somewhere in that strange cave-like thing his mother had kidnapped him and taken him to.

He felt a cloak draped over his shoulders, and it didn't take a genius to figure out who had put it there. He stood up, folding the cloak and tucking it underneath his arm. Toothless was still sleeping, and Hiccup decided against waking him. There was no need. Sure, he felt more safe when Toothless was with him, but he knew that the dragon was probably tired. Besides, it wasn't like there was anything here that could actually _hurt_ him.

So, he walked. He walked down the corridors in which he came, mentally taking notes of each path he took, so that he could go back for Toothless after he returned the cloak to his mother. However, wherever he looked, he couldn't seem to find her. It was then that he caught a small glint of sunlight, and he went to it.

There was a steep rock formation in front of it, in which he was forced to climb, despite how much time it took, in order to reach the open air. It lead him down another tunnel, only this time, the light was directly at the end of it. All he had to do was keep walking, step outside, and then…

Wow.

Dragons. There were dragons _everywhere_. Flying here and there, some of them tackling each other, the younger ones roughhousing while the older ones watched them and often times tried to break up multiple fights. There were all sorts of dragons; Nadderheads, Monstrous Nightmares, Zipplebacks, Rumblehorns, Raincutters...even some Hiccup had never seen before. He found himself at a loss. This was... _amazing_. The dragons were all looking up to each other, looking after each other as if they were one big family.

Of course, that's exactly what they were.

"Hiccup?"

That was the voice of his mother, coming from his left. The voice was quiet, hesitant and tentative, but the one word she spoke was unmistakable. Hiccup turned in her direction as she approached him, her dragon moving to stand behind her.

"Oh, uh," Hiccup started, and then found that he had no idea what to say. Part of him wanted to yell at her yet a second time, but of course, he had already done that once, and he was sure that he got his point across to her the first time around. "Here." He handed her the cloak, turning his head away.

"Oh," Valka said, taking it from him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome…" Hiccup said in a voice barely audible. He wasn't sure if he wanted to continue talking to her, but some part of him didn't want to leave. He half wanted to know what she had been doing the twenty years he spent growing up, while he also half didn't care. So what? What did it matter what she had done? The only thing Hiccup really thought about was the fact that he was abandoned by her for twenty years. He knew that she hadn't been busy. She could have given him some sort of note, or an Airmail of some sort just to let him know where she was and that she was alive…

There was no time to dwell on that, and even if there were, it wouldn't have mattered. It was too late anyways. Years and years too late.

"Hiccup, I'm sor-" Valka started, but Hiccup cut her off. No, he didn't want to hear her apologize at the moment. He didn't want to hear her say _anything_ , if he were completely honest.

"No, you shouldn't...apologize," Hiccup said. "I really don't want to hear it."

"Oh," Valka said in a whisper, looking down at the ground to avoid meeting her son's gaze. Hiccup was doing the same next to her.

Valka was ashamed of herself. She should have gone back. She should have at least _checked up_ on Berk every now and then, maybe watch her son grow up...if she had done that, then she would have known that Berk made peace with the dragons. She would have gone back instantly.

But she hadn't. She hadn't, and now Hiccup was the one to suffer from it. She was suffering as well, watching her son, wishing there was some way to make it up to him, yet now knowing how to do it.

Neither of the Haddocks spoke, and neither one of them looked at each other, until Hiccup decided to go back with Toothless.

"I'm just gonna go…" he said.

"Oh, alright," Valka said in response. "I'll see you later…?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Hiccup said, but he was already walking away from her, back towards Toothless.

 _Maybe…_ he added silently to himself.

* * *

 **I know, really boring chapter. I'm sorry. Chapter 5 will be interesting... *rubs hands together* Heh heh heh...see you next chapter, everyone! :D Reviews aren't pressured, but appreciated. :D Have a great day! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5...you guys is lucky! Two chapters today! YAY! :D I'll do another one tomorrow, don't worry! :D And don't forget, my hiatus is coming this June, and I will be returning in July with a new story!**

 **Quick question...**

 **Do any of you think I can finish this story before June 1st? It'll probably be something around fifteen or sixteen chapters...not quite sure yet. And if not the first of June, maybe June 4th, or 5th? Or should I keep posting 1 to 2 chapters a day? Let me know what you think! They may or may not motivate me. :) Enjoy chapter 5 for now! :D**

* * *

Toothless woke up as Hiccup walked back towards him. Toothless regarded his rider with a coo as he yawned and stretched drowsily, smacking his lips. Hiccup patted the dragon's head with a quick "Hey, bud" before plunkering down beside his dragon, staring out into the darkness that laid ahead of him.

"We could leave now, huh?" Hiccup said, rubbing Toothless' head as the dragon laid down next to him, keeping his head upright. "It would be easy...pretend we never even met her."

Toothless growled, which could have meant anything, but Hiccup knew what he was thinking. Hiccup was feeling it, too. As much as he might have wanted to leave, there was something in him that didn't really, truly want to go. He thought about just leaving to find Drago, and then after he changed his mind, maybe go back to Berk and meet up with his father, probably never tell him that Valka was even alive…

"Come on, Toothless," Hiccup said at length. "We're going to go talk to Drago."

"What!?" a voice blurted from behind him. Hiccup spun around, just in time to watch Valka run towards him. "You can't go talk to Drago!" Valka said.

"Yes I can," Hiccup said. "Watch me." He mounted Toothless, clicked his prosthetic into the foot pedal, and took off down the tunnel.

"Hiccup!" Valka called after him, but he didn't stop. She darted after him without hardly even thinking about what she was doing.

Hiccup made it to open air, where the other dragons were flying. Toothless screeched to a halt, hovering on the overhang just barely a foot off the ground. Hiccup's eyes darted to assess his surroundings as he tried to find an exit somewhere.

"Come on, Toothless, we have to go," Hiccup said. "Look for-"

Toothless' growl cut him off. The dragon thrashed suddenly, shaking his head multiple times as if something were attacking him. Before Hiccup had a chance to even ask what was wrong, Toothless fell to the ground. Hiccup was thrown off his back, rolling a few times before managing to get to his feet. Toothless sat back, his eyes narrowed into slits, unmoving.

"Toothless!" Hiccup shouted, running forward, standing directly in front of the Night Fury. Toothless didn't even act as though he saw Hiccup. Hiccup waved his hands in front of Toothless' face, but the dragon remained unmoved.

"Buddy, what's wrong?" Hiccup asked. "Toothless!"

The sound of wings flapping behind him drew his attention. He spun around as Cloudjumper landed, Valka mounted on his back. Valka slid off her dragon and stood, her staff in her hands once more.

"What did you do!?" Hiccup yelled.

"I'm trying to protect you," Valka said.

Hiccup was fuming. He started and stopped sentences, not knowing how to express his intense anger. " _Protect me!?"_ he blurted. "Why do you suddenly care about me!? You left me for twenty years! Why do you care what happens to me!?"

"Because you're my _son_ ," Valka said desperately.

"Oh, really?" Hiccup said, crossing his arms. "You could have fooled me! You know, when you _abandoned me!?"_

"Hiccup, I told you I was sorry," Valka tried. "Just _please-_ "

"Please _what?"_ Hiccup asked. "What do you expect me to do? Act as if nothing ever happened? Act as though you were _there_ the first twenty years of my life? Act as though you actually _care?"_

"I do care, Hiccup!" Valka said. "Please don't-"

"What do you expect me to do!?" Hiccup demanded. "It's not like...it's…it's not like twenty years is an easy thing to forgive and forget! I'm not going to forget! Twenty years...twenty birthdays...twenty times I watched my father grieve on yours and his anniversary...all the times _I_ grieved..." He looked at Toothless before turning back to Valka. "Let him go," he ordered.

Valka shook her head. "No," she said, "I can't." Hiccup ran his hands through his hair, getting ready to shout at her again. Valka cut him off before he even had the chance to start. "Hiccup, you have to understand that Drago is a cruel, heartless, selfish person," she said, "who only thinks about himself and has no concern for those around him that he may hurt-"

"Oh, sounds like you two have a lot in common then," Hiccup said, crossing his arms. "Maybe you two should have gotten married, because you obviously don't care about my father, or me for that matter. You wouldn't have left Drago, would you have?"

"Now _stop it!"_ Valka said. "It's not like that!"

"Then why did you give me up?" Hiccup asked. "Am I not good enough for you? What about my father? You know, after you were abducted, he killed more dragons then ever! He told everyone that he was going to avenge you by doing it...he thought that maybe he would kill the same dragon that took you away in the first place! So, you came here to protect the dragons...protect us as well, you say? But actually, you failed in everything you tried to accomplish. Except, you didn't fail on making your only family feel as though you hated them. You accomplished that with flying colors."

"Hiccup-"

"LET. MY. DRAGON. GO!"

In one swift movement, Cloudjumper pounced him. Hiccup wasn't expecting it, but it wasn't something that he wasn't used to already. He was used to being pounced on by dragons.

Still, it didn't make it any less terrifying.

Cloudjumper roared right in his face. The message was clear: _Watch how you talk or it's going to end poorly for you._

"Cloudjumper!" Valka shouted. "Stop! Get off him!" Cloudjumper growled, yet complied, stepping off Hiccup as Valka raced over.

"Are you alright?" Valka asked. "Are you hurt, Hiccup?" She grabbed his arm in an attempt to help him to his feet, but in response, he jerked away from her and did it by himself.

"Yeah, I'm hurt," he said. He paused, meeting her eyes. "But not by your dragon." Without another word, he turned and raced down the opposite tunnel.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6! I am so so so so so SO sorry I didn't update yesterday! I'll give you two updates to make up for it...and maybe 3 if I feel up to it. :D Enjoy chapter 6! :D**

* * *

Hiccup stormed down the earthen corridor, muttering to himself. "I shouldn't feel guilty," he whispered to himself. "I'm not guilty. She's the only one that did anything. It's not like I'm being...irrational. How does she expect me to react? What does she expect me to do? I'm not going to act all cheery about it and shout, 'Oh, look! The mother who abandoned me! Welcome back!'" Hiccup sighed, running his fingers through his hair and pausing in his walk, his footsteps stopping.

"And now Toothless can't help me," Hiccup said to himself. "What makes her think she can do something to my dragon? What makes her think she has the right? I mean...it's not...ugh." He sank to the ground, his hands folded loosely in his lap. "I hate this," he grumbled.

Hiccup felt angry, guilty, disappointed, and upset all at once. He was upset and disappointed mainly because he had thought that he was like his mother. When he was younger, Gobber was always telling him he was "Just like his mother" when it came to his mind, looks, and creativity. Hiccup knew he wasn't like his father growing up. He had thought that he was like his mother.

...But he would never abandon someone he truly cared about or loved. He wouldn't abandon his family. He wouldn't abandon his friends. He wouldn't abandon Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the twins, Gustav... _anyone_.

And yet his own _mother_ abandoned _him?_ Hiccup shut his eyes. He was _beyond_ confused, beyond upset, and beyond disappointed. Yes, she had tried to apologize, but still. It still hurt. She still couldn't go back and give back the twenty years he lived without her.

He heard rustling in the darkness, and instantly stood up, his eyes alert, scanning his surroundings for any sign of what had made the noise. He took out Inferno, clicking it, watching as the fire engulfed the blade in a matter of moments. That done, he looked back at the darkness ahead of him.

He wasn't going to let himself get kidnapped. He knew about Drago and his trapping, and he also knew that since there were hundreds and hundreds of dragons around here, it would stand to reason why Drago would hunt here.

And beyond that, his mother knew Drago, meaning they had crossed paths before, meaning that-

Hiccup opened his mouth to scream when someone grabbed him roughly, pinning his arms to his side. Before a sound came out of his mouth, a hand was clamped over it.

 _I'm being attacked!_ he thought wildly. He thrashed and kicked, trying to make use of his unsheathed sword and failing all the same. He wriggled, trying to break free of his attacker's hold, yet to no avail.

"Hiccup! Hiccup, stop! It's us!"

Hiccup stopped struggling instantly. He knew those voices. When he was released, he spun around, the fire on his sword supplying him with just enough light to make out the faces of his father and his mentor.

"Are you kidding me!?" he blurted, sheathing Inferno and putting it back on its strap. "What are you doing!?"

"Rescuing you," Stoick stated simply. "Come on, we're leaving, now." He grabbed Hiccup's arm in an attempt to drag him along, but Hiccup didn't move.

"You don't have to scare me half to death!" Hiccup said, trying to jerk away from his father although in response Stoick just held tighter. "Dad! Just let me go!" _I need to think of an excuse...think of an excuse..._ "We can't leave Toothless behind!" he decided on.

"Then tell me where he is and we'll go get him," Stoick said.

Hiccup froze. _My mother's with Toothless…_ He was worried about how his father would react to seeing his wife and realizing that she had been alive and yet stayed away from Berk. Although he wasn't exactly on good terms with his mother, he certainly didn't want to see his father be heartbroken by her when he learned the truth.

"Uh...umm...how about I get Toothless?" Hiccup offered, hesitating every other word. His father's green eyes stared into his own. "You know, just for safety...he, um...he doesn't really...well, just let me get him."

"Nice try," Stoick said. "You and I both know that the minute you're alone you'll get on Toothless and try to talk to Drago again. Tell us where Toothless is and we'll go get him."

"He's hiding something, Stoick," Gobber said, walking up behind them. "See how he keeps scratching his head? It means he's nervous or lying." Hiccup dropped his hand to his side instantly. _Stupid nervous habit…_ he scolded himself.

Stoick looked Hiccup in the eyes once again, and Hiccup lowered his gaze. "What are you hiding from me, Hiccup?" Stoick questioned, giving Gobber a glance. "Come on, don't lie to me. What is it?" He was more telling then asking.

"Nothing," Hiccup growled. "Just let me get Toothless, and we'll go home." _Let me go by myself, please let me go by myself…_

"Okay, let's get Toothless," Stoick said, releasing Hiccup's arm and trugding forward. Hiccup felt a pang of fear hit him. He wasn't sure how his father would react, but...if it was anything like the way he himself had reacted...and since his father was more of a "man of the law"...

"Okay, Dad, let me go first, and I'll bring Toothless out here," Hiccup stated simply as his father and Gobber continued on in front of him. "I won't get on him or leave or anything, I'll just-"

"The more you try to convince me you're not hiding something, the more you lead me to believe that you _are_ indeed hiding something," Stoick said, pausing in his strides just long enough to face Hiccup as he spoke.

Hiccup swallowed.

 _Oh Thor…_

"Just listen to me on this one," Hiccup pleaded. "I don't know it-" They made it to open air, and Gobber froze.

 _Oh no...he's seen her...no going back now...oh darn…_

"Stoick," Gobber said, "you might want to see this."

Stoick and Hiccup turned the corner, and Stoick found himself staring into the eyes of his thought-to-be-deceased wife.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7...sorry I didn't update earlier. I was busy. ;) Here's chapter 7! *robotic cheers* Enjoy! :D**

* * *

Valka was prepared for a lot of things. She was prepared to be attacked by Drago. She was prepared to go out and fight the madman if she had to do it to keep the dragons in the sanctuary safe. She was prepared to be wounded, have other dragons wounded, and she was ready to tend to their wounds as well.

However, she was _not,_ I repeat, _WAS NOT_ ready to meet her husband again after twenty years of no contact with him.

Hiccup was standing next to Stoick, his hands in front of him as though he were strangling an imaginary person while his eyes betrayed his fear and anger both at once. There was another person standing on the other side of Stoick - Gobber, if Valka remembered him correctly, who looked confused and shocked.

Stoick looked...well, it was hard to read his facial expressions. He was always so... _stoic_ , and it drove Valka up the wall sometimes.

Now, it terrified her. _What if he reacts the same way Hiccup reacted?_ she thought wildly. She didn't think she would be able to take losing her son _and_ her husband to their anger. Her only family…

 _Well, maybe you shouldn't have abandoned them, then,_ she thought bitterly against herself.

"I know what you're going to say, Stoick," she said, beginning slowly and quietly, looking down at the ground. At length, she looked back up at her husband. "How could I have done this?" She lowered her gaze once again for a moment. "Stayed away all these years, and why didn't I come back to you?"

She looked at Hiccup. His face was unreadable. "To our _son?"_ she added. _It's not entirely my fault I stayed away,_ she told herself. _Berk was a dragon killing island._ "Well," Valka said, "what sign did I have that you could change?" At this point, Stoick began walking towards her. Valka hid her fear. "That _anyone_ on Berk could? I pleaded, so many times to stop the fighting, to find another answer, but did any of you listen?"

She paused. "I know that I left you to raise Hiccup alone," she said slowly, "but...I thought...he'd be better off without me."

She looked back at Hiccup, remembering everything he had said to her. "And I was wrong," she said, "I see that now, but…" At this point, Stoick was just a few steps away from her. His facial expressions remained the same. "Oh," Valka started, hating how choked up she sounded, "stop being so _stoic_ , Stoick. Go on...SHOUT! SCREAM! _SAY SOMETHING!"_

He cupped her cheek, cutting her off. She stared at him with fear filled eyes, worried at what his reaction would be.

At length, he spoke. "You're as beautiful as the day I lost you," he whispered. He leaned in, and his lips met hers. After a moment, they broke away, staring at each other.

"Um...excuse me?" Hiccup's voice broke through their thoughts, and they turned to look at him as he stepped towards them. "I'm confused."

"This is your mother, Hiccup-" Stoick began.

"No, no, I _know_ that," Hiccup said, "but what I don't understand is how...how you could just...forgive her that easily."

"Oh boy," Gobber said. "Here he goes. He doesn't make it easy."

The blacksmith was ignored.

"She abandoned us, Dad," Hiccup said. "How could you just forget that?"

"It doesn't matter, Hiccup," Stoick said. "She's here now."

"It doesn't _matter!?"_ Hiccup repeated. "Of course it matters! Why am I the only one who thinks it's wrong!? Why am I the only one reacting like a _human being!?"_

"This is why I never got married," Gobber muttered, putting his head in his one good hand.

"Hiccup-" Stoick tried again.

"I don't understand!" Hiccup shouted. "How can she abandon us!? _Me!?_ I-"

"Hiccup Haddock," Stoick warned.

"No!" Hiccup said. "I can't forgive her! Not yet, at least!" With that, he turned and stomped in the opposite direction, his heavy, exaggerated footsteps echoing throughout the ice cavern.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!" Stoick called after him, but Hiccup didn't falter. He continued walking until he was far away enough. As soon as he was sure he was far away enough, he sat down on a rock, his legs dangling over the side of it, his hands folded loosely.

Stoick looked back at Valka. "I'm sorry," he said. "I don't know what's gotten into him. He's normally not like this-"

"No, _I'm_ sorry, Stoick," Valka said. "I shouldn't have stayed away…"

"It's not your fault," Stoick said. "I'll talk to him." He stepped away without another word elsewise, following his son.

He found Hiccup after just a few minutes. "Hiccup," he said. He stopped abruptly, sighing. "I don't even know what to say to you, son. How could you say something like that to your mother?"

Hiccup shook his head. "I don't know how you expect me to act," he said. "You don't understand, and I wouldn't expect you to, but...she abandoned me. It's...it's almost as bad as being disowned. You don't know what that's like, do you?" It was a statement; not a question.

"Hiccup, she's here now," Stoick said. "Isn't that the important thing?"

" _No,_ it _isn't_ , Dad," Hiccup said. "She was gone for twenty years. I can't forgive that without...without feeling _some sort_ of hurt, can I?"

"I'm not asking you to be entirely thrilled, Hiccup," Stoick said. "I'm just asking you to understand."

Hiccup shook his head once again. "It doesn't matter now anyways," he said quietly. "She already made her decision."

"Hiccup-"

"No. Please. Just...leave me alone for now. I'm still trying to process...everything." He sighed, dropping his head in his hands and remaining unmoved. At length, Stoick sighed.

"Alright," he said. "Just try to think about it, Hiccup." He turned and headed back down the tunnel where Gobber and Valka were still waiting. As if on cue, dragons started roaring in panic. Valka and Gobber were staring over the overhand, staring out with horror on their faces.

"What is it?" Stoick asked quickly, running towards his wife and friend. "What's wrong?"

"Drago," Valka answered, turning around to face him. "Drago is attacking the nest."


	8. Chapter 8

**Look, guys, if you don't think I'm doing a good job with this story, I would advise you DON'T read it. I appreciate constructive criticism, of course, and I understand that not everyone is going to like what I write, but...still. It just kinda makes me feel like I am failing. Now, I am giving no blame to you guys because I know everyone has their own opinion, but honestly, I won't feel bad if half my followers just STOP reading this story. Really, I won't. Just because you follow me doesn't mean you have to read whatever I write.**

 **And I'm not even going to say anything. You know, when I first started getting negative reviews, I planned out an entire rant on what I would say to come back, but I'm not even going to say that, because it doesn't matter. If you guys don't like what I'm doing, please don't read what I write. I don't want to make any of you guys upset.**

 **On a side note, I don't want ANYONE to blame IonitaMircea32 (the one who requested this fanfiction) for any of the things you dislike. See, _I_ am the author of this. Blame me, get mad at me, but don't get mad at IonitaMircea32. **

**On another side note, thank you to all who continue to read and support this story. I hope I didn't come across sounding like a jerk, but I really don't want you guys to read what I write if you don't enjoy reading it. That's just me being honest. No one feel pressured to read this. :) Enjoy chapter 8! :D**

* * *

Hiccup shot to his feet at the sounds of dragons roaring in terror. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew that Toothless was in the same direction as the roaring. He took off running instantly, running down the tunnel until he made it to the open air once again.

"What's going on?" he asked his father, careful not to make eye contact with his mother. She seemed too preoccupied to care either way.

"We're being attacked," Stoick said urgently. "Come on, we have to help in any way we can."

Hiccup nodded, turning around, finding himself looking at Toothless. The dragon was nuzzling him, cooing with anticipation and worry at the same time. Hiccup figured that his mother had released his dragon the instant the attack began; it would just make sense.

"Come on, Toothless," Hiccup said. "We have to do _something_." He jumped on his dragon's back, and they flew out of the nest.

Hiccup had never seen such a war before in his entire life. Ships were docked everywhere, surrounding the nest in a terrifying way. He couldn't keep himself from gasping. Left and right, there were dragons running and fleeing in terror while Drago's army began jumping off their ships and onto the land.

He looked to the side, just in time to watch a familiar Deadly Nadder soar across from him.

 _Astrid_.

He turned Toothless and headed towards her, simply because at the time, he didn't know what else to do. He knew he didn't want something happening to her...he didn't know what he would have done. It was his protectiveness taking over. He couldn't stand the idea of her getting hurt.

"Hey, Astrid!" he called to her as he got close enough.

"Hiccup!" Astrid called in response. Sitting behind her on Stormfly was none other than Eret, son of Eret. He was holding onto Stormfly for dear life, looking every bit as terrified as he was.

"Hey, way to go, Dragon Rider!" Hiccup congratulated.

Eret smiled. "Thank you!" he said. "I think!"

"Where have you _been?"_ Astrid asked. Hiccup froze, thinking about his mother. He didn't really want to tell her, but at the same time, he didn't want to keep a secret from her…

"I...I, um...met my Mom," he said simply. Astrid's eyes widened in shock. Behind them, the sound of ice splintering met their ears, and they turned around as Valka and her Alpha emerged from the cave of ice, the Alpha breaking it in the process.

" _That's_ your _Mother!?"_ Astrid gasped. She sounded happy; maybe she expected Hiccup to be happy? He didn't know what she expected. He looked back at his mother, shrugged at Astrid, gave her one last smile, and then turned Toothless in the opposite direction.

Dragons were being trapped left to right. Sometimes, one dragon would get caught partially, and another dragon would come to help it get out just to get the trap set completely. Toothless fired plasma blasts at the traps any chance he got. The more dragons freed, the better.

Then, another Bewilderbeast rose up from the water, only this one had chains snapped to its tusks, and it looked beyond wild and mad. It rose up behind another man, roaring.

 _That must be Drago Bludvist,_ Hiccup thought, looking down at the man with a staff who was waving at the Bewilderbeast. _Now's my chance. I need to talk to him somehow. I'll prove it to everyone that I can change his mind about dragons. I will prove it, one way or another._

Before he even had the chance to, the two Bewilderbeasts ran at each other and were caught up in battle.

Hiccup noticed the other Dragon Riders were looking at the two Bewilderbeasts as they battled. Hiccup knew that the good Alpha was the only chance they stood against the bad one. If the good one was killed, then it was over. If the bad one was killed, then Drago was over.

But it couldn't end both ways.

The two dragons fought, and the other dragon riders fought other soldiers of Drago, freeing dragons that got caught in traps. Hiccup stole another glance at the battling Bewilderbeasts. He watched as Drago's wrestled Valka's to the ground, pulled back his horns, and -

NO.

"No!" he gasped, mostly to himself. Drago's Alpha stepped away from the body of the other one. If dragons could look smug, then this one did. It seemed to be smiling, looking down at Drago almost happily, like a puppy waiting to be rewarded for doing a trick.

Hiccup took Toothless towards the madman, landing his dragon almost directly in front of him. Drago turned and looked at him, a smile shining on his face.

" _This_ is the Dragon Master?" he gasped, half laughing. "The son of Stoick the Vast?" Hiccup dismounted, stepping towards Drago. Drago merely laughed. "What _shame_ he must feel," he said.

Hiccup balled his fists. _Now's my chance._ "All this destruction," Hiccup said, "and for _what?_ To become unstoppable? To _rule the world?"_

Drago nodded as if he were thinking it over.

"Dragons…" Hiccup continued. "They're... _kind,_ amazing creatures that can bring people together."

Drago's smile vanished. "Or _tear them apart,"_ he shot back, his right arm moving to his left one. In one swift movement, Hiccup saw that Drago's arm was a prosthetic. He winced.

"You see," Drago said, hooking his arm back into place, "I know what it's like to live in _fear_. To see my village burnt...my family taken. But...even as a boy, left with _nothing_ , I vowed to rise above the fear of dragons, and liberate all the people of this world!"

"Then why a dragon army?" Hiccup questioned.

"Well," Drago said, "you need _dragons_ to conquer other _dragons_."

"Or, maybe you need dragons to conquer _people_ ," Hiccup said. "To, _control_ those who follow you...and to get rid of those who won't."

Drago looked at him, looking amused. "Clever boy," he said with a small nod of his head.

"The world wants _peace_ ," Hiccup said, "and we have the answer back on Berk. Just...let me show you-"

"No!" Drago shouts in response, and Hiccup felt his heart sink. "Let ME, show YOU." At that, he opened his mouth, and shouted at the top of his lungs. Hiccup took a step back, worried at what it would lead to.

 _I failed. Oh, I failed._ Drago's Alpha approached them, its eyes narrowing.

"No dragon can resist the Alpha's command," Drago explained slowly. "So, he who controls the Alpha...controls _them all_." He pointed his bullhook at the Alpha, and then pointed it at Toothless. Almost instantly, Toothless began writhing, growling and moaning as if in intense pain, pawing at his head.

"Toothless?" Hiccup asked worriedly. This did not look good. Toothless growled again. "T-T-Toothless, you okay, bud? What's going on?"

Nothing changed.

"Witness true strength," Drago said. "The strength of will over others. In the face of it, you. Are. NOTHING!"

Toothless stopped growling all at once, lifting his head off the ground, his eyes narrowed. Slowly, the Night Fury turned around, looking at Hiccup menacingly.

"Ah...what did he just tell you?" Hiccup asked nervously.

In response, Toothless began approaching him. Hiccup backed away nervously, step by step, one step backwards for every time his dragon took a step forward. "Toothless, come on!" Hiccup pleaded. "What's the matter with you?" Toothless snarled in response. "No, no, no, come on," Hiccup said, "what are you doing? Knock it off!" Toothless was really scaring him now; he had never seen his dragon look so...so _menacing_ and _wild_ and all around _bloodthirsty._

It was one of the most terrifying things Hiccup had ever seen. He was even more terrified now than he was facing the Red Death.

"Stop!" Hiccup shouted. His voice cracked, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. "Snap out of it! Toothless, no!" Hiccup was near hysterics. _Is this how it ends? I'm going to be killed by my own dragon._ "Toothless! Don't!"

"Hiccup!" a voice shouted from the side. Hiccup's blood ran cold. He knew that voice. No. He couldn't. His father had to stay away…

"STOP!" Hiccup screamed at Toothless in one final attempt to knock the dragon out of his daze.

"SON!"

The voice was closer now. Hiccup looked to the left. His father was only a few feet away from him, running at top speed.

"DAD!" Hiccup shouted, putting his hands forward in a clear "STOP" motion. "NO!"

It was too late. The last thing Hiccup felt was his father shoving him out of the way, and the last thing he heard was the sound of a plasma blast exploding.

 _No._


	9. Chapter 9

**Sad, sad, sad chapter here, guys. AND I GOT LOTS OF ENCOURAGING REVIEWS LAST CHAPTER AND OMGOSH I LOVE YOU GUYS SOOOOOOOO MUCH! :D THANK YOU FOR MAKING POSTING ON THIS SITE WORTH IT! :D ENJOY CHAPTER 9! :D**

* * *

Hiccup opened his eyes, finding himself lying on the ice cold ground. He figured he had blacked out, because the last thing he remembered was his father running towards him…

Oh Thor.

 _His father_.

Hiccup shot to his feet probably quicker than he should have. His vision swam, the edges of it blackening for just a split second before he shook his head, his keen eyes darting to assess the area. He saw Toothless. Smoke was curling from the corners of the Night Fury's mouth by the pure fire power put into that blast.

Hiccup looked to the left, and his heart skipped a beat.

His father was lying, lifeless on the ground.

"No," Hiccup whispered, shaking his head feverishly, stumbling slightly before racing forward frantically. "No, Dad." _No. No. No. No. No. No! NO!_ He couldn't think clearly. The world around him blurred. All he could see was his father.

 _Please no, please no, please no, please no, please no...no, no…_ he pleaded silently. He shoved large chunks of ice off his father and collapsed by his side, grabbing his arm and shaking him frantically.

"DAD!" he screamed. He was briefly aware of his mother rushing forward, and although his mind was partially screaming at him to stop her, he couldn't think beyond his father. He and Valka rolled Stoick onto his back, and Hiccup stared at his father's closed eyes.

"D-Dad," he whispered in a choked, sobby voice. He shook his head feverishly after garnering no reaction. "No…" he whimpered. "No." He saw, in the corner of his eye, his mother pressing her ear to his father's chest, and by her reaction, it wasn't good.

"No," he whispered. Tears sprang into his eyes. He had never been so horrified before in his life. "No." Suddenly, he couldn't stop himself. He sobbed uncontrollably, leaning over his father's chest. "No no no no no."

His mind wasn't working. His chest suddenly hurt. The area felt too hot to be real. Everything else disappeared; the battle, his friends, Toothless, his mother...all he could think about was his father.

 _His dead father…_

Tears raced down his face like rivers. He couldn't stop them, and he made no move to try. He couldn't think beyond his father. He couldn't think about anything else. His mind was scrambled like a jigsaw puzzle…

 _My Dad is dead…_

Thinking about it made it feel more real. _My Dad is dead...my Dad is dead...my fault...all my fault...my Dad...Dad...oh, Dad...dead...no. He can't be...but he is. And it's my fault. My Dad is dead. Dead, dead, dead…_

He felt someone put their hands on his back and arm, and he instantly flinched, thinking it was his mother. When he lifted his head, he was met by Astrid's soft, tearful eyes as she saw next to him, one of her hands on his back while her other hand was clasped around his forearm.

 _My Dad is dead._

He hugged Astrid tightly and sobbed against her shoulder. He lost his father...he needed the reassurance that he hadn't lost her, too. His mind didn't feel right. He couldn't think about anything else.

Astrid let him cry, too, not making him pull away, instead hugging him back fiercely. He still was having a hard time registering what had just happened. His father had been killed…

 _By Toothless…_

He finally managed to look back at the body of his father as Toothless was finally knocked out of his trance. The dazed dragon stepped forward, shaking his head feverishly as if trying to register what had just happened.

After a few mere moments, his ears went flat against his head, and he charged forward.

Hiccup looked at the dragon and couldn't help but feel...what? Hiccup didn't know what he was feeling. He felt a gazillion different emotions at once, none of which he could have began to decipher. He was sad...and wasn't that just the underestimate of the year?

His father was gone.

...And then he was angry at Drago for controlling the Alpha, and then the Alpha for controlling Toothless, and he was mad at Toothless for not fighting back...for not being able to defeat the Alpha...for not being able to stop what he was doing before it was too late.

And there was the lingering anger at the back of his mind about his mother, but he couldn't think about that. Not when his father was dead.

Toothless nudged Stoick's hand, and Hiccup could barely control himself. He shoved his dragon backwards, more tears spilling from his eyes.

 _He killed my father._

 _But he didn't. Drago did._

 _It doesn't matter. Someone has to pay._

 _But it's not Toothless' fault._

 _THEN WHOSE FAULT IS IT!?_

"Stop!" Hiccup shouted, his voice choked. "Get away from him!" Toothless looked shocked and hurt and _crushed_ all at once. Hiccup wanted to apologize...but at the same time, he didn't.

Toothless cooed sadly, trying to risk another step forward. "Go on!" Hiccup yelled. "Get out of here! GET!"

Toothless brayed one last time before turning and running in the opposite direction. Hiccup instantly hated himself. _Hiccup Haddock, you idiot!_ But then again...he didn't know what else to do. He felt lost. He felt guilty. He felt...he felt...he felt as though a huge part of his heart had been viciously torn out of his chest.

"It's not his fault," Valka's voice carried through his thoughts as Hiccup sank to the ground again, hugging his knees. "You know that."

Hiccup didn't know what to do. He lifted his head, wiping his eyes with the heels of his hands. "You're right," he said. He sniffed. "It's not his fault." He looked back at her, and anger filled his mind. "It's _your_ fault!" he said. "If you hadn't shown up, none of this would have ever happened! Don't you understand!? My father is _dead_ because of _you!"_

He didn't know if he meant it or not…

 _Someone has to be blamed...and not Toothless._

TOOTHLESS.

"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup shouted, trying to run forward. His dragon was flapping his wings frantically, trying to fly away. Hiccup watched as Drago yanked Toothless straight out of the sky with his bullhook before mounting the Night Fury. Toothless' eyes were narrowed into slits again. The Alpha was in control once more.

Astrid's arms snaked around Hiccup's waist before he even had a chance to stop her. "TOOTHLESS!" he screamed. "TOOTHLESS!"

"Hiccup, stop!" Astrid shouted as he struggled against her. Since when did he get so strong? She yanked him backwards, but even then he didn't stop. "Stop it! There's nothing we can do!"

Hiccup knew she was right. He blew it. He _really blew it_. He sank to the ground, sobs tearing through his throat, tears soaking his face.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup whispered, choking on his own words. "I-I d-didn't mean it…"

Astrid collapsed to the ground beside him and took him in her arms once again. "I know you didn't," she whispered, but Hiccup hardly heard her.

He lost his father.

And he lost his best friend at the same time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter ten...and then...WE SUFFER DA AGONY OF DA CLIFFY THINGIES! OH NO! AAAAHHHHH! ANYWAYS, I hope you all enjoy chapter 10! :D Have fun! :D**

* * *

Hiccup cried his eyes out in his friend's arms, and Astrid didn't tell him to stop even once. Behind them, Gobber and Valka were talking, Valka rubbing at her eyes feverishly. Snotlout, the twins and Fishlegs had their helmets lowered against their chests in silent reverence for their fallen Chief.

Hiccup's world seemed to have shattered into a thousand pieces that were impossible to put back together. He couldn't think clearly. He closed his eyes and opened them again, hoping that he would wake up from whatever sick nightmare he was in, but he knew it wasn't a dream.

It was reality.

And it was awful. Nothing like watching the person who raised you get blasted to death by your best friend. At the thought, Hiccup sobbed harder. He wanted it to end. He wanted the torture of knowing his father was dead to end.

After half an hour, the noises of the battle were completely gone. The only thing to be heard was the sobbing and crying of a son without a father. Astrid never left his side, giving him a shoulder to cry on although it did nothing to stem his flow of tears.

At length, he wiped his eyes and stood up shakily. He felt lightheaded and dizzy from his crying, but he hardly even registered it. Astrid stood up beside him, her own eyes red from her own tears.

Hiccup turned around, looking at his friends and then at his father's corpse.

They needed to give Stoick the Vast the proper send off.

…

Gobber was saying something, but Hiccup wasn't registering it. When the blacksmith handed him a bow and a single arrow with the head of it on fire, he took it timidly. Gobber put his hand on his shoulder, and then stepped away.

Hiccup had seen funerals before. He knew how they worked on Berk; the family of the deceased one would be the first to fire the flaming arrow at the pyre. Valka was in the background, and she didn't look like she was going to fire the first arrow.

It didn't matter to him. Hiccup never thought he would actually fire an arrow at his father's pyre. Not like this, anyway.

He lifted the bow, the arrow strung in it. He pulled it back; his hands felt heavy, like bronze. The bow itself felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds. He looked at the arrow, back at the pyre, and then let the arrow fly.

He lowered the bow as the arrow hit its mark. He blinked against the tears in his eyes, but they fell anyway. He saw more arrows hit the pyre, and he didn't bother turning his head. Instead, his eyes remained glued to the small boat as the flames engulfed it.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Dad," he whispered. There was a pause. "I'm not the Chief you wanted me to be. I-I'm not the peacemaker I thought I was." He stopped. He didn't know what else to say. "I just...I...I-I don't know, what…" He stopped abruptly, lowering his head. _What do you say to the person who raised you? How do you say goodbye? How do you let go?_

 _There's the thing._

 _You can't. Not really. You always look back, somehow or another…_

He felt someone put a hand on his shoulder, and turned around as Astrid stepped next to him.

"You almost died, after the battle against the Red Death," she said slowly. "After you lost your leg, you...you were sick. Sick to the point of death. We...we didn't think you would make it, Hiccup, but…" She turned her gaze back to the burning pyre. "But Stoick...your father...he never doubted you," she concluded, turning around to face Hiccup. Hiccup stared into her eyes, and she stared back. "He always said that you were strong," Astrid said, "and he was right. You're the strongest of us all, Hiccup."

Hiccup lowered his gaze. He didn't _feel_ strong, that much he was certain of.

"Hiccup," Astrid said, putting two fingers beneath his chin and forcing him to look at her. He was taller than her regularly, but now with his sloppy posture, he was eyelevel with her. "You _are_ stronger," Astrid said.

Hiccup shook his head. "I was...I was always afraid of becoming my father…" he began. "Mostly because...I never thought that I could. I mean...how-how do you become someone...someone that... _great_. That...that selfless…" He glanced up at Astrid. "I guess…" Another tear ran down his face. "I guess...y-you can only _try_." He sighed. "We have to go back and save Berk," he said.

Astrid let a weak smile cross her face. "We need your mother's help if we're going to help Berk," she said. "It's the only way. She knows dragons probably better than any of us. She has to help us defeat Drago, or at least tell us how to do it, or what our best chance is, or what Drago's weak spot is, even."

 _You must feel horrible,_ her words from five years ago came back at him. _You've lost_ everything. _Your father…_

Hiccup looked at the burning pyre slowly.

 _Your tribe…_

He looked back at his friends. They weren't their usual selves. They kept their heads lowered and their eyes fixated on the ground.

 _Your best friend…_

Hiccup thought about Toothless; the dragon's eyes when Hiccup was yelling at him, commanding him to get away from his father. Guilt plagued Hiccup's mind.

 _But the question is...what am I going to do about it?_

"A Chief protects his own," Hiccup said, turning around to face his friends once again. Astrid stepped up next to him, her eyes encouraging. "We're going back," Hiccup said. "You," he pointed to Valka. "I...I need your help."

Valka's eyes brightened.

"Now," Hiccup said, "please don't get the wrong idea. We aren't friends. We aren't allies. We are simply two people with the same goal, alright?"

Valka nodded, although she looked upset.

"Alright," Hiccup said, turning around to face the others. "We need to think of something. Does anybody have any ideas?"

"We don't have our dragons!" Tuffnut whined. "It's hopeless!"

"Not necessarily," Valka said. All eyes were instantly on her.

" _What?_ " they asked in unison.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11! Yay! You guys are wonderful! And I saw the new clip to season 3, like, OMGOSH SO EXCITING! :D Enjoy chapter 11! :D**

* * *

Astrid had been beyond inspired by Hiccup's speech. She was always inspired by him one way or another, no matter what he was doing. During the battle against the Red Death, he led them to fight, and they had followed him. Whenever he went against Dagur or Alvin, his friends always backed him up because he was a great leader and brilliant friend.

Astrid only wished that their transportation was a bit more suitable for their situation.

Hiccup yelped, reeling up on his baby dragon before it smashed into an iceberg. The dragon he was riding squealed happily, nearly running Hiccup into another chunk of ice. Hiccup ducked, just barely missing it.

"How do you fly these things!?" Snotlout yelled angrily. His dragon jumped on an iceberg, ran, tripped, and then continued flying after regaining its balance. "AAAH!" he shouted.

"But won't the Alpha just take control of these guys, too?" Astrid asked.

"They're babies!" Valka explained. "They don't listen to anyone!"

"YEEAAAH NO KIDDING!" Hiccup yelled. His dragon spun downwards and then shot back into the air again. Hiccup knocked his head on a piece of ice jutting out of the caves, and winced, rubbing the side of his head.

"Ha!" Tuffnut said. "Just like us!"

"We'll be dead before we get back to Berk at this rate!" Eret shouted. The dragon he was riding crashed into a drift of snow and continued on as if nothing ever happened.

"Thank you Mr. Ray of Sunshine!" Hiccup called. "Don't we love your company!"

"This is-" Gobber nearly crashed into an iceberg, "-very dangerous!" His dragon smashed into an iceberg, and Gobber was nearly thrown off its back. The dragon shook his head and charged onwards once more. "Some might suggest that this is poorly conceived!"

"Well, then it's a good thing I never listen!" Hiccup called in response.

"What's the plan, Hiccup?" Astrid asked after another moment of trying to steer her dragon properly.

"Get Toothless back," Hiccup said, "and _kick_ Drago's-" Whatever he was going to say was cut off when a tower of ice blocked his voice. Tuffnut suddenly gasped, pointing forward frantically.

"There!" he shouted.

Sunlight streamed through the end of the tunnel of ice, and the riders flew straight through it. Almost instantly, Astrid gasped.

"Oh no," she whispered.

Berk was nearly covered in ice. Spiky, pointy ice; the ice of the Alpha, that reminded her almost of a lion's mane. She stared at it for a few moments before looking back at Hiccup. He looked shocked, and then angry.

"No," Hiccup whispered, shaking his head feverishly.

Fishlegs gasped. "He took all the dragons!" he cried.

Drago's Bewilderbeast was standing in the water, and the dragons flocked around him, roaring and growling and spitting fire. Astrid winced. It was _not_ a pretty sight.

Hiccup had _HAD IT._ First, Drago attacked his mother's nest, and even though he wasn't particularly fond of his mother, it was still wrong for Drago to attack. And then, Drago took control of Toothless and made Toothless kill his father. Then, Drago practically kidnapped Toothless.

That was the last straw. Hiccup had had it with the madman, and seeing Drago laying siege to Berk made his blood boil with rage.

"Distract the Alpha!" Hiccup called as he and his friends darted forward. "Try to keep his focus off of Toothless!"

"Ah, how?" Tuffnut asked in confusion. Hiccup ignored him. He knew that if Tuffnut didn't do anything, the others certainly could. He turned the baby dragon he was riding and made a beeline for his own.

"Have you forgotten who you're riding with!?" he heard Eret shout. "There isn't a dragon alive I can't wrangle! Aaaahhhh EXCEPT FOR THIS ONE!"

Snotlout huffed. "Amatuer," he muttered angrily.

"Hey, look!" Hiccup heard a viking shout from below them. "It's Hiccup!"

"WHAT!?" Hiccup also heard Drago yell in reply. _Come on, guys,_ Hiccup thought as he locked eyes with Drago. Toothless' eyes were still slitted and intimidating. _I need that distraction NOW._

As if on cue, a sheep seemed to fly up from the ground, right in front of the Alpha's face. It plummeted towards the ground, and the Alpha stared at it.

 _Thank you,_ Hiccup thought silently. _Thank you, guys._

"Keep 'em coming!" Ruffnut called.

"Black sheep, baby!" Snotlout shouted happily. The Alpha looked down at them, inhaling deeply to breathe ice onto his friends. .

 _No! Get away! Watch out!_

A horn stopped Hiccup's train of thought. The Alpha closed his mouth, turning his head to look at Fishlegs. The black sheep was the next one to go into the air, and it landed on the Alpha's face.

"Ha!" Snotlout shouted from below. "Ten points! Haha!" The Alpha growled. "Uh-oh," Snotlout said.

Before the Alpha had the chance to do something else, Fishlegs blew the horn once more, and giggles. The Alpha then turned his attention to Fishlegs, snarls tearing through his throat.

"Oh no," Fishlegs whispered. The Alpha smashed the horn, and then lifted his foot to bring it down on Fishlegs as well.

"FISHLEGS!" Hiccup shouted in terror.

Just as the Alpha brought down his foot, another dragon swooped in underneath and grabbed him. Hiccup was shocked.

Valka?

Valka's baby dragon had Fishlegs in its claws. It set the boy down (well, it partially dropped him; it couldn't fly with Fishlegs in its claws), and then shot back into the sky.

Hiccup made a mental note to thank Valka _big time_ for saving Fishlegs' life, whether he was mad at her or not. She saved one of his best friends; she deserved to be thanked.

Hiccup suddenly remembered the best friend that he needed to save himself. He looked at Drago, and his heart beated faster like a drum. How _dare_ Drago touch Toothless? How _dare_ he?

Hiccup spun his baby dragon around and flew towards the Night Fury.

He had a friend to save.


	12. Chapter 12

**Helllooooooooooo...fandom waaannnddddoooommm...HELLO! :D Chapter 12 here! :D Glad glad glad! HAPPY DAY! :D *falls against bookshelf dramatically* Nice, to, meetcha, where've you been? I can show you incredible things! Dragons, madness, cliffhangers...**

 **I'm just going to stop before it gets out of hand. XD. And to the reviewer who was wondering, my profile picture came from the new clip for "Race to the Edge." SUPER AWESOME clip, by the way. It makes me even more excited! *books fall on top of me* Enjoy chapter 12, all you awesome people! :D**

* * *

The Night Fury didn't even seem to see him. Hiccup heard Drago cluckle, but he was hardly thinking about that. He would defeat Drago later. Now, he needed to help Toothless.

"You certainly are hard to get rid of, I'll say that," Drago said, but Hiccup ignored him.

"Toothless," he whispered. "Hey, it's me, bud. It's me. It's me. I'm right here, bud. Come back to me."

Drago laughed, and Hiccup hated the man more then ever. "He's not yours anymore," Drago said. _Shut up, shut up, shut up._ "He belongs to the Alpha! But please, oh great dragon master." Hiccup glared at him even more so. "Try to take him back. He will not miss a second time."

Hiccup looked at Toothless, suddenly feeling scared. He hadn't been able to get Toothless back the first time...what if it happened again?

No. He couldn't think about that. He couldn't back down. "It wasn't your fault, bud," he whispered in a broken sounding voice. "They... _made_ you do it." Toothless' eyes dilated for a split second before returning to the creepy slit. "You'd never hurt him," HIccup whispered. "You'd never hurt _me_."

Hiccup put out his hand, laying it on Toothless' muzzle. Toothless shook his head, but it did nothing.

 _It's working._

"How are you doing that?" Drago asked, sounding genuinely shocked. Hiccup ignored him yet again. The only thing he cared about was getting Toothless back. It was the only thing on his mind.

"Please," Hiccup pleaded. "You...are my best friend, bud." Toothless seemed to break free, but the Alpha concentrated, and Toothless' eyes narrowed once again. _Now's my chance._ "My best friend," Hiccup whispered with more force.

Then, all at once, Toothless' eyes went back to normal. His teeth sheathed, and he beamed.

"ATTABOY, that's it!" Hiccup cheered. "That's it!" Toothless growled happily, his eyes as wide as saucers. "I'm here!"

"NO!" Drago shouted, hitting Toothless with his bullhook. Almost the instant it connected with Toothless' scales, Toothless grabbed it in his jaws, and yanked Drago off his back. The madman fell towards the ground.

"YEAH!" Hiccup shouted, and Toothless roared in response.

...Just before falling out of the sky.

"Hang on!" Hiccup shouted, jumping after him instantly. "Almost there, buddy, almost there!" He put out his hands, and just as they were about to hit the ground, Hiccup mounted his dragon, and they shot back into the sky.

"DO SOMETHING!" Drago shouted. He was standing on the Alpha's face, looking as mad as his voice made him out to be. Hiccup glanced back at him.

"We need to get those two apart," Hiccup said. Toothless passed a Dragon Racing flag, and Hiccup ripped it off its pole and held it forward. "We got to block them out, Toothless. Do you trust me, bud?"

Toothless nodded and growled in response. Hiccup eased the ed fabric over Toothless' eyes, tying it behind the dragon's head. "We can do this," Hiccup said. "You and me...as one. That's it. Now, let's try this one more time!"

They circled back around, heading straight towards the Alpha. Hiccup glanced back over his shoulder. Astrid was coming in to land her dragon…

The Alpha must have seen her, because the next thing Hiccup knew, there was a dragon racing towards her.

"ASTRID!" Hiccup shouted. "LOOK OUT!"

She was too far off the ground for the fall to not be fatal in some way, and Hiccup was too far away to reach her before she hit. She only had time to gasp before her baby dragon collided with the dragon the Alpha had sent to take her down with.

Astrid was screaming, falling towards the ground.

"ASTRID!" Hiccup yelled, turning Toothless back around to catch her. He was too far away, and he knew it. Astrid would hit the ground before he even had a chance at grabbing her.

 _Please no...please no...please, please, don't take Astrid away from me, too. Please...please, please, please…_

Valka and her baby dragon swooped in underneath Astrid, catching her on its back. Astrid's screaming came to an abrupt stop.

Hiccup could hardly believe it. Valka had caught Astrid, and saved Fishlegs earlier, too. Maybe she wasn't as heartless as Hiccup thought? Maybe…

He didn't have time to think about it. He turned Toothless around once again, and headed towards the Alpha.

"TAKE HIM DOWN, BABE!" Astrid called from the ground.

"Go, Hiccup!" a viking shouted as well.

"Go get them," Hiccup just barely heard his mother say. Hiccup's eyes narrowed at Drago. _I'll get them,_ he said. _You had better watch out, Drago!_

"Take control of it!" Drago screamed at his Bewilderbeast. Toothless thrashed for just a moment, and Hiccup laid his hand on his dragon's head.

"Shut it out, Toothless!" he said. "Shut it out!"

"STOP THEM!" Drago hollered.

"NOW!" Hiccup shouted. He locked Toothless' tailfin, and leaped off his dragon's back. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Toothless' blindfold fell off his face, Drago's gasp met his ears, and then Hiccup opened the wings of his flightsuit.

They were _winning this_ , one way or another.

Hiccup surrounded Drago and the Alpha with Zipplegas and lit it. Almost instantly, Drago fell off his Alpha, his bullhook landing a few feet away from him. just out of reach.

 _I have to keep him from grabbing it!_ Hiccup thought wildly. When he looked ahead of him, he saw that he was heading straight for the Alpha's tail.

The battle of the Red Death flashed through his mind. "Not again," he pleaded. "Toothless!" he yelled. He couldn't see his dragon; where was he? "It's not or never! Come on, bud!"

The next thing he knew it, Toothless was underneath him, and the Night Fury was pulling up into the sky.

They just - _just barely_ \- missed the Alpha's tail.

"Yeah-ha!" Hiccup called. "We did it!" Toothless landed, and Hiccup watched as Drago tried to grab his bullhook again.

 _Whoa no. Not today._ Hiccup pulled out INferno, lit the blade, and threw it. It sank into the ground, just in between Drago's hand and his bullhook. Drago growled in rage, but Toothless stepped forward, the dragon's eyes narrowed angrily.

"Hold him there, Toothless!" Hiccup commanded. "It's all over now."

Drago stood up, and _smiled._ HIccup's heart skipped a beat. If Drago was smiling now, then it wasn't good.

"Or is it?" Drago grinned.

That was the last thing Hiccup heard before the Alpha rose up from behind Drao, breathing ice straight at Hiccup. Hiccup was aware of Toothless jumping in, but that was it.

Everything went black.


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm back! :D So, I forgot to mention, but I'm supposed to be on my hiatus right now. So, I've decided to finish this story and THEN go on hiatus for the remainder of June. I might not post again until July 10th, but hey, I get to finish this story, which is awesome! :D Enjoy chapter 13! :D**

* * *

 _No._

"No!" Valka shouted as she raced towards the ice, collapsing in front of it. She couldn't believe what she had just watched. She hammered her fists against the thick ice, but it didn't do anything at all.

But if she didn't do something, Hiccup was going to suffocate, if he wasn't already dead. She shook her head at the thought. No, he couldn't be dead. He just _couldn't_ be. Valka had already lost Stoick. She didn't think she could beat to lose her son, too. Sure, she knew he was mad at her, and sure, she knew that he might never truly forgive her for what she did, abandoning him and all, but he was still her _son,_ and she loved him.

She would give her life for him.

"No, no!" she continued shouting, bashing her fists against the ice. It stung, but she didn't care. Once she knew just hitting the ice wasn't working, she thought about using dragons to melt it…

Oh, wait. Drago still had control over the dragons, Toothless had jumped in front of Hiccup to shield him, and the baby dragons were in _no way_ going to be helpful. They would probably end up scorching themselves or someone else instead of the ice.

But Hiccup…

"Hiccup," Valka whispered, knowing that there was no way to save her son.

…

It was dark. It was dark, cold, lifeless, and strange. Hiccup couldn't breathe for a few moments, and when he got his breath back, he realized that the area around him had little to no air to breathe.

He gasped for breath in terror. He was suffocating. He was going to die. He couldn't breathe. He put his hands on the ground and then put them against the freezing cold wall of ice, trying to find some sort of way out, but he found nothing.

He had never thought he would suffocate to death. He thought he would die some sort of heroic death, or live to have kids and die of old age…

He never thought it would end like _this_.

He heard a growl and turned around. Toothless' toxic green eyes looked back at him, full of worry and concern. Hiccup knew that dragons could hold their breath longer than humans could. He would die before his dragon did.

"Toothless," he whispered, trying to use as little air as possible. He put his hand against his dragon's head and patted him softly. Toothless cooed, nuzzling Hiccup's side, although it didn't make Hiccup feel any better.

He didn't want to die. He had things to do, people to talk to, an island to save...Drago and his Bewilderbeast were still out there. He still needed to apologize to his mother...he didn't want to completely, but the more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He shouldn't have screamed at her like he did. And even though it felt good to finally get some of his anger out, and also the fact that he was mad at his mother, he knew that he still had to apologize, and thank her for saving Astrid, and thank her for saving Fishlegs, and thank her for helping them with the baby dragons even though all Hiccup did was yell his throat out at her…

He felt so guilty.

And he couldn't breathe again.

He coughed and choked, gasping for air that simply wasn't there. Toothless licked his cheek, but it didn't do anything to help their situation. At length, Hiccup settled for just laying on his stomach, the cold ground pressed against his cheek.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Toothless…" Hiccup slurred, just before closing his eyes. His chest ached. He couldn't breathe deeply enough to make happy his lungs. He couldn't hardly even think anymore.

Toothless growled in fury, and Hiccup put his hand against Toothless' side to calm the dragon down, but when he touched Toothless' scales, he had to withdraw his hand instantly.

His scales were sweltering.

His scales were glowing now…

Toothless' rage exploded. Quite literally, in fact. The ice was sent splintering, chunks of it flying in every direction. Hiccup gasped, sucking air back into his lungs. He knew that after this, he would probably be claustrophobic for the rest of his life.

He looked at Toothless as the dragon roared. Hiccup had never heard Toothless sound so blatantly _furious_ before. It was a bit unnerving. Toothless turned to look at him, giving him a reassuring glance, and Hiccup smiled. Then, Toothless raced forward, leaping onto a spike of ice and roaring at the Alpha.

"He's challenging the Alpha!" Hiccup shouted.

"To protect you!" Valka said, coming up from behind him. Hiccup looked in her direction, and she didn't look back. She was smiling, her eyes fixated on Toothless. Hiccup soon turned as well, a smile on his face as he watched his dragon defeat the Alpha. He was still angry at Valka...but he was too happy now to be angry with her. It was a lingering thing in the back of his mind, and he was containing it for the time being.

Toothless fired at the Alpha, and the Alpha's tusks smashed the icicle Toothless was perching on. Toothless merely jumped onto a lower one and fired once again. The Alpha shook his head, roaring in fury.

Toothless roared back, and suddenly, the other dragons surrounded him instead of the Bewilderbeast.

 _We're winning!_ Hiccup thought. He raced forward, leaping onto Toothless' back.

"No, no, no, no! No!" Drago shouted. "Fight back! Fight! Fight! What's the matter with you!?"

His Bewilderbeast wasn't having it. Without the dragons on his side, there wasn't much he could do, and Hiccup knew it.

" _Now_ do you get it?" Hiccup called, gesturing to the dragons around him. " _This_ is what it is to earn a dragon's loyalty!" Drago glared at him, but his eyes were wide with shock. "Let this end," Hiccup said. "Now."

"NEVER!" Drago hissed. "Come on!"

Toothless roared, and the dragons around him open fired towards Drago and his Bewilderbeast. The former Alpha roared in pain and fury.

"FIGHT!" Drago commanded. Toothless fired one final plasma blast, and the Bewilderbeast's tusk snapped clean off. Drago shouted, the force of the blast knocking him off the dragon and into the ocean. Toothless roared in triumph, and the Bewilderbeast bowed in silent respect.

"The Alpha protects them all!" Hiccup yelled. He threw his hands over his head as the Bewilderbeast retreated back into the water.

Drago didn't resurface.

They did it.

They really did it.

Hiccup jumped off Toothless, running towards his friends and island as they whooped and shouted and cheered. Toothless and the other dragons landed in a row behind them, blasting fire into the air.

Everything was perfect.

And then Hiccup heard the distinct sound of cracking. He could barely hear it over the villagers, but it was still there. He couldn't make out what it was, exactly, but there was no denying it.

Then, as soon as it had come, it stopped, replaced by the sound of something falling through the air...he still didn't know where it was coming from.

He didn't have time to find out.

Something slammed into him, and he was knocked to the ground. He rolled on his side, shaking his head to knock himself out of his daze. He froze in his movements when he heard a sickening _CRACK_ followed by complete silence.

Hiccup turned his head to look at where it had come from, and gasped.

His mother was trapped beneath a large spike of ice.


	14. Chapter 14

**Okkiizzzaaay, just so you all know, I will be finishing this story TOMORROW. :D YEP, you heard me! Tomorrow! :D So exciting...I'm going to miss this story, though. :( But hey, I'm thinking about writing a one-shot after it's all said and done, so...tell me what you think about it! :D And thanks to all who have been supporting this, and thanks for the constructive criticism (constructive, mind you. The stuff that helps me be a better writer). Enjoy chapter 14! I'm pretty sure there will be two chapters after this...yeah. ;) See you guys later! :D**

* * *

"MOM!" he screeched, scrambling to his feet and charging over to her. It suddenly occurred to him that it was the first time he had ever called Valka "Mom". It felt strange on his tongue, but part of him liked it.

He couldn't think about that right now. He grabbed the ice and tried to lift it, but he couldn't. It was long and thick like a tree trunk, and wasn't any lighter. He tried to lift it, his teeth gritted, his breath coming in heaving gasps. His fingers slipped on the ice; he couldn't find purchase, or something to grab. He tried pushing it, but it didn't do anything.

All that happened in merely moments, because the next thing he knew, there were dragons and other Vikings pushing and shoving against the ice. As soon as it had been moved, Hiccup surged forward, his hands hovering over his mother uncertainly. At length, he pushed her and flipped her onto her back. Her head lolled limply against the ground.

"Mom!" Hiccup screamed. "No! Mom, I'm sorry! You can't do this to me! Please, please! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He bent over her and sobbed. He lost his father. He couldn't stand to lose his mother, too. She had shoved him out of the way of the ice; just as his father had pushed him clear of the plasma blast.

His father had died by doing that. Was his mother going to die, too?

"Get a healer!" a villager shouted, but Hiccup could barely hear anything. He pressed his ear against Valka's chest, pausing and waiting breathlessly.

 _Please,_ he pleaded. _Please, please, please, please, please, don't be gone, don't be gone, please...have a heart beat...please…_

He heard it. The silent, almost nonexistent _thump thump thump_ of his mother's heart. He sobbed with relief, but also worry. How heavy was the piece of ice? Thinking about it made him feel even guiltier.

He looked at his mother once again, tears running down his face. He thought about how he had treated her...and yet, still, she risked so much to save Fishlegs and Astrid, and then, she saved his own life, quite possibly at the cost of his own.

Thinking about it made him feel sick.

"Please," he whispered. "Please be alright, please…"

…

Hiccup sat by his mother's bedside, staring at her unconscious face. It had been days since the battle, and Hiccup hardly moved at all. The only thing he really did was get water, and even then, it was hardly anything. He knew he was dehydrated and starving, but he still didn't leave his mother's side.

He was finally realizing the gravity of his behavior, and just how badly he had treated her.

 _"Don't you dare call me 'son!'"_

" _Maybe you and Drago should have gotten married, because you obviously don't care about my father, or me for that matter!"_

" _Except, you didn't fail on making your only family feel as though you hated them. You accomplished that with flying colors!"_

" _If you hadn't shown up, none of this would have ever happened! Don't you understand!? My father is dead because of you!"_

He winced as he remembered his own words, and found himself shocked that he would ever say such things to his mother. Pushing past all the anger and hatred he had felt when she found him, he found that there was more happiness and love than he thought himself capable of feeling. He loved his mother. When he first met her, he had been upset, but that didn't mean that he _hated_ her. He loved her _so much._

And he had treated her _so, so, so badly._

Whatever feeling of happiness he had had momentarily the moment he saw her was crushed under the merciless heel of anger he himself had created.

Now, he realized that he loved his mother. He realized that he needed to make up for the time she wasn't with him, not yell at her and waste more precious time. Time was precious. Losing his father had taught him that much. Life was precious, and every second of it was irreplaceable. He couldn't spend it being hateful. He didn't know how long he had with his mother. His father's death was so unexpected.

That was why life was so precious.

Because it _ended_.

He didn't want to be orphaned. He was always from a one parent household, of course, but losing _both_ parents would just be…

The grief would probably kill him, and he knew it. As Hiccup sat by his mother's bedside, he felt more terrible than he had ever felt before in his life, even worse than he had felt when he lied to his father about dragon taining all those years ago. Worse than anything.

But...he needed to apologize. He needed to make it right with her. He needed to tell her how so, so very sorry he was for everything he said to her. He needed to let her know that even though he was a bit angry, he still loved her.

He felt sick from all the crying he did every day, not to mention lack of food and sleep. While staying with his unconscious mother, he had lots of time to think about his deceased father. Gobber and Fishlegs had offered to take over as acting Chiefs for Hiccup, and he thanked them briefly. He was lucky to have friends.

But of course, not being busy made him think all the harder about the death of the one who raised him. He would never have another father. He wiped his eyes again. He felt so drained from crying. Then why did he still feel as though he would explode into a fountain of tears every time an image of his Dad popped into his mind?

Hiccup wiped tears off his cheeks. No, he had to stop crying for now. He couldn't cry anymore. He tried to think about something else.

The healers told him previously that the only injury Valka had sustained was a concussion and some broken ribs, both of which were not life threatening, and would only lead to her being unconscious. It had already been a week, though, and Hiccup was beginning to worry.

He closed his eyes. No, he had done enough worrying. He couldn't worry anymore.

He had to stop worrying.

Stop worrying.

Stop worrying.

Keep worrying.

Keep worrying.

At length, he settled for watching his mother and letting his mind go blank for the time being.

He had a lot to apologize for.


	15. Chapter 15

**AND THIS CHAPTER HAS SOME MAJOR HICCSTRID! :D AND WE'VE ALMOST REACHED 200 REVIEWS, LIKE, OHMYGOSH, SO AMAZING!**

 **And I just want to say that I'm really sorry, honestly, if I came across as snarky and rude that one chapter where I kinda ranted about people criticizing me. I just...I just feel like I'm failing when some people don't like what I'm doing and voice their opinions out loud, because I mean, I really, really, really put my heart into everything I write, no matter what it is, and I just...I don't know, I guess it made me feel more upset then anything, and I'm sorry. When I'm hurt by words I kind of tend to...well...use my own words in response instead of actually being honest. And I'm sorry. If anyone who ever criticized me before is still reading this now, then please accept my apology, because I. Am. Sorry. I understand that no everyone will like everything that I write. I completely understand that. And I also understand if you still don't want to, you know...forgive me. I don't want to come across as rude. I was just getting my thoughts out, and my thoughts were snarky...I'm sorry. :(**

 **Here's chapter 15, and there will be only one more chapter after this. Enjoy. :D**

* * *

Astrid was worried about Hiccup. She had been worried ever since Valka was injured, but at least they knew for certain that she was going to be alright, and also that she could wake up at any given moment.

Astrid was mainly worried about Hiccup because of how he was treating himself. She hardly talked to him at all since the battle, and the only things he said were "You did good out there" or "Thanks for everything" or "Gobber and Fishlegs are in control. Please help them with what you can." Nothing else. Nothing. Not even a passing word.

Not like they _could_ have had a passing word, since he never even left his house.

Astrid stepped onto the porch of the Haddock residence and paused. She knew Hiccup was mourning over the loss of his father; although she never watched him mourn, she knew that he was good at hiding his feelings. He would put on a brave face for the sakes of those around him.

It didn't particularly mean that he was being brave, but it worked reasonably well. He fooled lots of people he knew.

But not her. No way he could fool her.

She stepped inside without knocking, pushing the door open and shut timidly behind her. The house was quiet, save for a small noise coming from upstairs. It sounded remarkably like the sobbing someone was trying (and failing) to keep hidden.

Hiccup.

Astrid walked up the stairs slowly, disliking the creaking sounds that the boards made every time she took a step. When she got to the top, she was welcomed by the sight of Hiccup sitting next to Valka on a small stool, staring at his mother with tear filled eyes.

"Hiccup?" Astrid whispered, crossing the room, pulling another stool over so she could sit next to him. He stiffened, his eyes glued to his mother's face.

"I did this," he whispered in a cracked voice.

Astrid shook her head, although she wasn't sure what to say. _Was_ it Hiccup's fault? If she told him that it wasn't, he would brush her off, but she couldn't really tell him that it _was_ his fault, either. It wouldn't make him feel any better.

Instead, she put her hand on his shoulder, but he jerked away. "Hiccup-" she tried.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I did this to her. It's all my fault." He clenched his fists. "You don't know what happened, or...or what I said to her." He dropped his head in shame.

"Then tell me," Astrid said. "Tell me everything."

Hiccup took a deep breath, and spilled it. He told her everything, from the minute his mother found him to the end of the battle. He told her how he had talked to her, how he had treated her, everything. He left nothing hidden.

"And now look at her," Hiccup finished, wiping his eyes. "I treat her like dirt beneath my feet, and she saves me, putting herself in danger in the process…" He stopped, wringing his hands together to harshly that his knuckles were white. "And...and I need to apologize. I need to...I-I…but then...I-I'm Chief now, too, now that my father..." He stopped abruptly, putting his head in his hands. "My Dad is dead," he sobbed, "and my mother almost died, both because of me."

Tears ran down his face, and Astrid couldn't help but react. She leaned over and pulled him into her arms. He sobbed uncontrollably, remaining unmoved, completely relaxed in her hold.

"My D-Dad is gone," he cried, "and...and m-my Mom a-almost died, too. Both...my fault. My fault." His sobbing picked up. Astrid hugged him tightly in silent reassurance. He felt thinner than usual; she made a mental note to see whether or not he was eating right.

For the time being, she settled for simply holding him, running her fingers through his hair as he cried for the death of his father and blaming himself for that and his mother's injury. She didn't want to imagine how hard it was for him, losing his father and being the reason his mother was injured and unconscious.

"All my fault…" he whimpered. "My fault...my fault, Astrid…"

Astrid didn't respond simply because she didn't know what to say. What _do_ you say to someone who lost their father and nearly lost their mother? What do you say to someone so traumatized?

Astrid couldn't think of an answer, so she settled for kissing the top of Hiccup's head and squeezing him tighter. She said nothing except for the occasional "It's alright, Hiccup" or "Let it out". His crying quieted after nearly half an hour, but didn't stop. At length, he pulled away, wiping feverishly at his eyes.

"Sorry," he murmured quietly.

"Don't apologize to me," Astrid said. She looked at his pale features and thin body once again. "When was the last time you ate?" she asked.

Hiccup shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he said.

"Hiccup, it _does_ matter," Astrid said, shocked that he would think otherwise. "You're going to make yourself sick at this rate. Have you even slept at all recently? When-"

"Astrid, I'm fine," Hiccup said, waving his hand in front of her face as if swatting an imaginary fly. "Don't you worry about me, alright? We have enough things to worry about...without me being one of them."

Astrid crossed her arms. Come on, seriously? Did he really think he could hide _anything_ from her without her getting suspicious at some point? "Hiccup, please," Astrid said. "Just talk to me. Tell me how you feel, and no lies this time, got it?"

"I feel like a monster," Hiccup said through clenched teeth. It became apparent that he was fighting away more tears. "For the way I treated her…"

"Hiccup," Astrid said, "I know you feel terrible…" _Stupid thing to say, Astrid,_ she scolded herself. "But starving yourself _isn't_ going to make you feel better. I know, you made a mistake...but beating yourself up over it isn't going to make anything better. You just need to tell your mother you're sorry when she wakes up."

Hiccup looked at the floor. "But just 'I'm sorry' doesn't seem good enough," he said.

"Sometimes it's all we can do," Astrid said. "You'll make it up to her, Hiccup, and I think she'll make it up to you, too, in turn. It looks to me as though you both have some serious catching up to do." Hiccup glanced up at her. "For now," Astrid continued, "I'm going to the Great Hall to get you some soup...oh, don't give me that look. I'm not going to let you make yourself sick, alright?"

Hiccup sighed, but nodded eventually.

"Good," Astrid said. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She stood to go, stopping when she felt fingers wrap around her wrist. She looked back at Hiccup.

"Thank you, Astrid," he whispered. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Astrid smiled. "You'd be lost," she quipped. "Nevermind that. You're welcome." She turned and headed back down the stairwell and out the door. As soon as she was gone, Hiccup looked back at his mother.

He owed her one huge apology.

And not only that, but he had to learn to accept her own.


	16. Chapter 16

**OKAY, THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER AND I HOPE IT DOES JUSTICE! :D I think I'm going to write a one-shot, too, probably which I will post sometime in the middle of June...I normally end up posting a one-shot or two while I'm on my hiatus. :P :D So, enjoy chapter 16, and thank you all! :D**

* * *

Valka wasn't one hundred percent sure where she was or what had happened. All she knew was that her limbs were stiff and sore, and her eyelids felt as though they had been glued shut.

The next thing she was aware of were voices. The first one was a feminine voice of a young girl. "Hiccup," she said, "you look tired."

"I'm alright," Hiccup replied. Valka was confused. What was he doing here? She was still wondering where she was...she couldn't remember much of anything. She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't move, so she settled for just listening to her son's conversation with the girl. "You should stop worrying about me, Astrid. I'm fine. Honestly."

" _Honestly,"_ Astrid repeated as if she were mocking him. "Yeah yeah yeah, sure you're fine. You look like you're going to collapse. You need to go get some rest, Hiccup. Remember what we talked about?"

What were they talking about? Valka didn't have a clue, and she couldn't open her eyes to find out.

"Yeah, I know," Hiccup said. "'Starving myself isn't going to help the situation, and not sleeping can lead to me making myself sick.' I know, Astrid, I just...I can't. I'm worried."

Worried? Worried about what?

"I know you are," Astrid said. "And I am too...but you know she's going to be fine. I'm more worried about you if I'm completely honest."

" _I'm_ not the one that's been in a coma for over a week. I told you to stop worrying about me."

"I told you to stop beating yourself up over stuff like this."

Coma? Who was in a coma? For over a _week?_ It seemed like…

Oh.

 _Oh._

Now Valka understood. It was _she_ Hiccup was worrying about. She remembered everything; seeing the large hunk of ice falling towards Hiccup, shoving her son clear of it, and then her world fading into blackness...yes, she remembered.

But part of that didn't seem right. Didn't Hiccup hate her? Wasn't he mad at her? Why was he worried about her? And it sounded like he was so worried he wasn't eating or sleeping right. Thinking about that made Valka worried. She wanted to tell Hiccup not to worry...but she couldn't move.

She heard Hiccup sigh. "I know, Astrid, I'm...I'm sorry, I just...I don't know what else to do. I'm supposed to be Chiefing the village, and yet I just…"

"We _understand_ , Hiccup. No one's asking you to do everything. That's what friends are for, right?"

"Right, but no one told you you guys had to do _everything,_ either."

"You're right. But as your friends, we want to help you out. We all do. Gobber and Fishlegs are doing a great job as far as watching the village goes, and Toothless has been taking care of all the dragons...we didn't ask for your permission, sure, but we didn't need it. We want to help you. If you let us, of course."

"You shouldn't have to, though. It's my place. I should be the one taking care of the village. I should be the one undergoing the clean up. I should be the one-"

"You shouldn't, Hiccup. What you need to do is stay here. Take care of your mother...and take care of yourself while you're at it. Seriously, you look like you're going to faint."

"Occupational hazard."

" _Hiccup…_ Hiccup? Hiccup, you're crying."

Crying?

Valka heard the shuffling of feet, and she imagined Astrid hugging her son. She didn't know hardly anything about Astrid, but if the way she comforted Hiccup after Stoick's death back at the nest was any indication, than they were close. _Very_ close.

She heard Hiccup's sobbing mingled with Astrid's soothing nothings and felt her heart break. Did Hiccup really care about his mother? Did he? He must have...maybe? At least a little bit?

Fogginess plagued her mind, and she was powerless to stop the unconscious that overwhelmed her once again.

…

Valka opened her eyes. The sunlight almost blinded her, and it made her wonder just how long she had been out. She squinted and blinked multiple times until her eyes adjusted to the light.

She was in what looked like a loft, by the structure and the fact that she saw the ceiling beams stretched out above where she was lying. The surface was hard; a bed, then. Not like Cloudjumper's wings Valka had learned to enjoy sleeping in in the twenty years she had been living with the dragons.

After a few moments, she realized that Hiccup was sleeping soundly, sitting on a stool although his head was slumped against the bed, his arms lying slack beside it. Valka called to mind the conversation Hiccup and Astrid had previously, where Astrid was telling him that he looked about ready to faint from lack of sleep. If looks were any indication, then she had been right. Valka wondered for a moment if Hiccup _had_ passed out. He was pale and abnormally thin, with dark circles beneath his eyes.

Valka lifted her hand, took a moment to keep it from shaking (everything hurt...but she didn't know why), and then set it on Hiccup's head. His hair felt sweaty, but at the same time soft against her palm. She sighed. She had lost her son because of the mistake she made twenty years ago. Maybe he would never forgive her? Sure, you can be worried about someone without forgiving them.

She supposed she wouldn't know until Hiccup woke up.

"Mom?"

Speaking of which…

Hiccup shifted beneath her palm, lifting his head to regard her. He rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands as if not seeing properly. He blinked. "Mom?"

Valka couldn't help but smile, even if faintly. Mom. She had never actually heard Hiccup call her that before, and it was enough to warm her heart. Maybe he was forgiving her? Maybe-

She didn't have time to think anything elsewise before her son was hugging her in a tight embrace. There was a splitting pain in her ribs, but she ignored it, hugging Hiccup back tentatively.

Then he started crying. He sobbed and cried, clinging to her tightly as if expecting her to vanish. He was whispering things she couldn't make out, and she was too shocked to wonder what they were. Hiccup had always seemed so confident in everything he did...she never thought he would be one to break down in front of her.

"I'm sorry…" he choked. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry...p-please forgive me. I'm...I'm…" He coughed twice and continued crying, his big, salty tears nearly soaking her shoulder.

Valka's motherly instincts took over almost instantly, and there she sat, her son in her arms, ignoring the pain in her ribs and head, instead focused only on the sobbing boy clinging to her desperately as if she were his lifeline. She rubbed his heaving, shaking back without fully thinking about what she was doing, closing her eyes. She hated seeing Hiccup cry, but at the same time, the fact that he was being open with her made her feel happy, if just slightly. She liked the fact that he was letting his guard down.

But at the same time…

Her _poor baby_ …

"Shh," she said. "It's alright."

But if Hiccup's choked, sobby ramblings were any indication, then it wasn't alright in his mind. As he cried and stumbled over his words, tripping over his constant sobs, he told her how sorry he was, although she was only making out every other word he whimpered.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry."

Valka squeezed him tighter. "I'm sorry, too," she said.

After what felt like hours, Hiccup finally pulled away, his hands on her shoulders. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve with a sniff. "I didn't mean it," he said. "I was...I was just so angry...I didn't...I don't want you to think that I hate you…"

Valka's eyes widened. "I never thought that, Hiccup," she said. "I knew you were angry-"

"But that's not the point," Hiccup insisted, shaking his head feverishly before she was even finished speaking. "I shouldn't...I shouldn't have ever talked to you like that. I never should have said the things I said. I was mad, I was hurt, but...but it's no excuse, and I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Valka assured him. "It was my fault, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Hiccup, but...do...do you think you could give me another chance? Could we start over? I know it's going to take a long time for you to forgive me completely, Hiccup, but...if you could just let me try…"

After a moment of hesitation, Hiccup nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I...I forgive you."

That was all it took. Valka leaned forward and captured him in her arms again, gratefully holding her son, whispering _thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you_ over and over again in a barely audible voice. She was so relieved that there were tears sliding down her face, and she made no move to wipe them away. Hiccup hugged her back after no hesitation, and they stayed there for a long time.

"Of course," Hiccup said, not breaking their embrace, "this doesn't mean that I'm not generally still upset...because I am, and sometimes it's going to show…"

"It's okay, it's okay, yeah," Valka whispered in response, feeling too happy at the moment to be upset. She knew Hiccup was going to be mad sometimes. She knew that much, and expected nothing else from him. She knew that it was going to take time before he put it behind him. In fact, he might never put it behind him.

But she couldn't think about it at the moment. She held her son close to her, sighing with contentment.

"But...I just want you to know," Hiccup said, "...I love you, Mom."

Her heart melted just a little bit at those words. She never thought she would ever hear them ever come from Hiccup. "I love you too, s-" she began, stopping herself just before she said "son." He told her not to call him that, and really, she understood that. She was _okay_ with that, as long as he forgave her.

"And Mom?" Hiccup said.

"Yes?"

He rested his head against her shoulder wearily. "You can call me son if you want," he murmured.

Valka felt the air vanish from her lungs, and she sighed yet again. "Thank you," she whispered, and then, after just a moment, added, "son."

Hiccup smiled.

It felt good to be called that.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **OHMYGOSH THIS STORY WAS SO FUN TO WRITE AND I JUST HAVE TO SAY A HUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGEEEE HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE THANK YOU TO THE USER IonitaMircea32 FOR REQUESTING THIS AWESOME THING! THANK YOU! It WAS SO FUN TO WRITE! :D**

 **Sooooo, I'm going on my hiatus now through June, and maybe through just a little teeny bit of July, too, since right now my hiatus is overdue. BUT IT WAS WORTH IT TO FINISH THIS STORY! :D**

 **I put some new stories up on my poll, so if you guys want, you can vote for which one I write after I get out of my hiatus! The first one I'm going to do is "Come Little Children" (it's not on the poll because I already know for certain that I'm writing it next because the user that requested it (freyathefearless, guest) has been waiting FOREVER for me to write it), and then really whatever comes next. :)**

 **And last but not least….**

 **I LOVE YOU GUYS OMGOSH YOU ARE ALL SO INCREDIBLY AMAZING AND THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL AND I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN IN JULY! :D :D :D**

 **Until next story!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


End file.
